Crowberry Ridge

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This was my first route on Buchaille Etive More, undertaken at the end of my first visit to the area in stunning shorts & tee-shirt weather.  The lady running the B&B I was staying at in Corpach was friends with one of the Glencoe MRT, who lived just up the road.  So he and I set out for Glencoe and parked at Jacksonville (GR 237554) which has since been closed.  We took a rope, harnesses and a little gear but (as far as I can remember) no helmets.  We also didn't bother with rock boots.  The approach made the mountain look daunting as the foreshortened view made it appear vertical.  The path was fairly eroded and took us up past the Waterslide into Crowberry basin.  As we crossed Easy Gully there was still a little water in the stream which was most welcome.

The thing I most remember about the climb was the moment when I emerged from the shadows into brilliant sun.  Once we had reached the end of the harder section we put the rope away and scrambled on up to Crowberry Tower.  The views across Rannoch Moor were spectacular and surprisingly clear for such warm weather.  We continued on up to the summit where my companion remarked how unusual it was for him to be up there in sun, having made his own way there.  Apparently the normal situation was being taken up by a helicopter at night in pouring rain or snow!

Eventually it was time to head back down.  The top of the descent corrie was nothing like as loose as it is now and we made good time.  Once we emerged from the mouth of the corrie we headed around the base of the mountain and crossed the Etive to get back to the car.  A perfect day on the hills was rounded off by a quick visit to a pool in Glen Etive where we were able to swim and clean of the days sweat.

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